Eating Sri Lankan pol sambol in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Though I thoroughly enjoyed just about all the Sri Lankan food I tasted on my visit, I developed an unstoppable addiction to something known as pol sambol.
Sri Lankan pol sambol is a shredded coconut garnish that includes just a few simple ingredients mixed together into perfect harmony.
Grandma, who cooked the best curry in the world, would prepare pol sambol each morning for breakfast, fueling my addiction!
With fresh ingredients, it’s easy to make – so easy in fact that I decided to jot down this recipe so you can make it yourself.
This is all you need for a Sri Lankan culinary adventure
Sri Lankan Pol Sambol Recipe
Ingredients:
- 300 grams of fresh shredded coconut (mature firm coconut that’s used to make coconut milk, not the young soft coconuts)
- Around 2 – 4 spoons of chili powder
- Around 1/2 spoon of salt
- 5 – 10 cloves of raw garlic
- 1 – 2 small red onion
- 2 limes
Six ingredients, that’s it!
Just remember, these are just suggested amounts, you may need more or less of any of the ingredients, start off using less and do a lot of taste testing until it tastes right to you. You are the judge.
The key ingredient in shredded coconut
Being in Thailand at the time, I did cheat and buy pre-shredded coconut, instead of having to shred my own. However, you can also get a whole coconut and shred it yourself.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix… that’s about it!
Shred the coconut, mince the garlic, mince the onion and toss it all into a mixing bowl.
Add salt and chili powder, and finally squeeze in the juice from 1 lime first (more later).
Start mixing the pol sambol with the tips of your fingers – work it like you’re massaging someone’s shoulder. Begin to twist and lightly squeeze until all ingredients are equally coating the coconut (see video below).
At this point the pol sambol should be orange in color.
Sri Lankan Pol Sambol Recipe
Taste it. More salt, chili, or lime juice? Add more.
Mix it again. Taste the pol sambol again.
Sri Lankan pol sambol should be a little bit spicy, sour (but not overpowering) from the lime juice, and salty to suit your own taste.
Pure culinary delight – Sri Lankan pol sambol
While I was in Sri Lanka I often enjoyed pol sambol along with roti paratha bread or as a side with a rice and curry feast. But pol sambol is so good, it’s even delicious scooped up with little bites of bread.
Lastly, here’s the video including the recipe that we just covered, and a little adventure to go with it:
Oh I love recipe posts, more please!
Ayngelina recently posted..Love notes from a graffiti artist
Thanks Ayngelina… only simple recipes!
Looks delicious! This doesn’t seem too difficult to make.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..6 Tips for Surviving the Four Day Tour to the Salar de Uyuni
Hey Stephanie, yah, pretty simple and so delicious!
my mum used to make this all the time. thanks for posting this. i’m going to see if i can find some shredded coconut this weekend.
mina recently posted..ottawa weekend: day two
Cool to hear that Mina, you’re originally from Sri Lanka, right? I hope you can find some fresh coconut!
Hi Mark,
Wow, it’s really nice to see you make your own Pol Sambol. It’s true that it’s an easy to make dish. But I would like to give you some advice, please don’t eat too much Sambol straight away. Because when you eat too much fresh coconut at a time, you may have some stomach troubles. Also too much chili powder can harm your liver.
You can eat small amount of Pol Sambol for many times instead of eating a large quantity for a 1 or 2 times. (Just a free advise)
Cool, thank you so much for the advice Oshan. Everything is best in moderation, but somethings are so good, it’s hard to know when to stop – good reminder!
hoi, mark,
pol sambal is nice ,when see your pol sambal ,i am getting wet mouth, (like your dream)
city of ambalangoda is very famous for sri lanka (south) but we never use garlik.
for breakfast,lunch,dinner, times we make teaste with rice,roti,paan(bread) hoppers,
you are correct, it is easy and teast
thank mark
heam nl
Hello Heam, thank you for sharing and glad to hear you also enjoy and eat pol sambol daily. I would love to visit Ambalangoda one day!
Hi Mark,
I used to work in Sri Lanka, and like you I became addicted to pol sambol. I’m now based in New Delhi, and I’m going to make some p.s. for the office crew as a little surprise this week, so thanks for the reminder of basic ingredients.
I remember finding that recipes always varied though, and I think the coconut, lime and chilli are the only real constants. Personally I always add a little garlic and shallot/onion (mashed together into a paste), but I know these are left out by some. Another thing I always added when I was back in London was Maldive fish, but such is the way of the world nowadays that, while I could find it easily in London, there’s next to no chance here in Delhi. Anyone in London wondering where – go to areas with high SL Tamil populations such as Tooting or Wembley.
Other ingredients I also add sometimes are some coarsely crushed black pepper and minced curry leaves. I know some people temper the leaves in a little hot oil and then mix it in too (what you’d call a tadka here in north India).
Hey Seb, great, thanks a lot for sharing, and great to hear you also love pol sambol. Even in just my short 3 week visit to SL I noticed quite a few variations – all of them being wonderful. And just like you, I love garlic and shallots in there too! Making me hungry again too!
I lived in Sri Lanka for several years and also became totally addicted to pol sambol! I bought a coconut scraper while I was there so I am able to grind my own fresh coconut. Like Seb above, I alter my ingredients just a little – I add finely diced tomatoes, I don’t use garlic, and I do use black pepper in addition to the chili powder. My mouth is watering just thinking of this dish. YUM! I miss all of the curries, string hoppers, kotu roti, indiappas… and so much more. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Anne, good to hear from you and also that you love pol sambol too. Tomatoes in the mix sound great!
The proper way to make pol sambol is in a mortar pestle….. put all the ingredients in and basically bash it
but a food processor does the same job…..
Thanks Dani, it’s such a wonderful addition to any meal!
Mark, if you love pol sambol- you’ll love this genius creation-
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=560315913979509&set=pb.548913635119737.-2207520000.1360629592&type=3&theater
That does look really good Dimitri!